Alexander Valley

Sadly, this was very badly corked.  TCA.  Not rated.

Fred Scherrer makes classic old school Zinfandel.  Deep ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with bramble, cherries, slight black cherries and char.  medium to full bodied.  On the palate, cherries with a slight cough drop note.  Anise on the finish.  Overall a very enjoyable, non-flamboyant Zin.  It is nice on its own but probably better with food.  A great choice for Burgers off the grill.  Drink over the  next few years.  

This is a blend of 85.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.9% Merlot, 2.9% Petite Verdot, 1.4% Malbec, and 0.1% Cabernet Franc from Sonoma.  Purple/ruby in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with cassis, cedar, dust and spice.  Full bodied.  Soft texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, flavors of black cherries with some dry earthiness.  Nice finish.  This is at or just past peak at this point.  it drinks well on its own and will work with many foods.  A nice hoice for Brisket.  Drink up.  

This is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot 7%, Cabernet Franc, and 6% Malbec.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose has cassis, char, tobacco, slight graphite and spice.  Full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this drinks well.  Flavors of cassis, plums with some tobacco and char.  Good finish.  This is drinking well on its own and will work nicely with beef dishes.  Drink over the next five to ten years.  

A lovely, old school Zinfandel.  Whether one thinks this is young or ready or old is a matter of preference.  For my tastes, this is drinking youthfully but ready.  Ruby in color, clear and bright.  The nose has bramble, raspberries, slight black cherries and spice.  Light but present tannins.  On the palate, bramble and black cherries with spice and slight char.  Drinks well.  Not over the top.  Very nice on its own but better with food.  A great wine with pizza.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

This offers nicely balanced red fruit with minimal oak, solid acidity and decent tannic structure. Not an easy thing to find in a Merlot, and a Merlot at this price. Black cherry, black berry, huckleberry, red currant, light cedar and vanilla notes dominate and this is a very comprehensive wine. Mainly Merlot, there are small percentages of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Malbec. It was aged for 14 months in French oak, only 40% of which was new, hence the light wood touch. What this ultimately offers is a robust Merlot that is well worth the price.

This 2014 Blanc de Blanc is a sparkling wine with a brisk acidity and a hint of chalky minerality. Hand harvested and whole cluster pressed, there’s a lovely creaminess to this wine with very mild carbonation, allowing more of the fruit to come through. It offers lemon-lime notes, guava, red delicious apple and grannie smith green apple, light unsweetened honeysuckle, Asian pear, a hint of baked brioche. The balance of the flavors makes this easy to pair with a diversity of foods. 178 cases. ORIGIN: Alexander Valley, Sonoma. ALCOHOL: 12.5%

Perhaps the top bottling from this storied winery.  Ruby in color, purple at the core, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has cherries, pomegranate, and a slight earthiness.  Full bodied.  On the palate, sour cherries, some cranberries, root beer, and the slightest milk chocolate note at the top of the long finish.  Complex and tightly layered, it unwinds quickly in the glass.  This is drinking close to peak it seems but should drink well for another ten years or so.  Nice on its own, this would be better with food.  Roasted Duck would be an obvious choice.